Follow in a Stranger's Footsteps
by One Breath Away
Summary: Danny stumbles across a boy's birthday party on the way home from detention. He eavesdrops on the party until he noticed how similiar they are to him and his two best friends. Yet, when Danny appears to them, the one boy recognizes him as Danny Phantom, despite him being in his Fenton 'Ego'. Just a cute oneshot of Danny making a difference.


**So, I was bored and wanted to write a story that was like the Danny Phantom stories, but not really based completely on Danny. So many people saw Phantom as a menace, and well, I just wanted to capture a child's spirit and thoughts about the famous ghost boy. **

**Pretty much, Danny comes across a birthday party and sees that the three kids there are so much like he, Sam, and Tucker. It kind of explains how the smallest of hope can bring out wonders. Please R&R and I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom! I do sorta own the three kids though.**

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_**Follow in a Stranger's Footsteps**_

Danny had been up all night fighting ghost after ghost. He was tired, and hadn't had any sleep on top of forgetting to do his homework, also due to the ghost attacks. That led to multiple things, but a really good thing.

Danny, of course, had detention once again after school that chilly Tuesday afternoon. He looked around as he stepped outside to see if maybe Tucker or Sam had waited for him, but he couldn't see either one in sight, so he put his head down against the wind and began to walk home.

After walking for a few minutes, maybe half way home to Fenton Works, Danny happened to hear a noise. It was the sound of a trio of kids talking. Danny, though he knew it was rude to eavesdrop, hid behind a tree so he could hear them. For some reason, seeing them made him happy. Maybe that was because they were so familiar in way.

A birthday cake laid half eaten on a nearby table with balloons that read 'Happy Birthday' on them. A lady was cleaning up, and Danny could easily tell which of the kids' mom it was. In the trio, there were two boys and a girl. They looked about five or six, but the mom belonged to the little boy with raven black hair. It must have been his party.

That little boys had raven black hair, much like Danny's except it was shorter. He had on a black tee shirt, jeans, and dark blue converse. The other little boy was African American. He had on an orange shirt, a green barrette, and cargo shorts. He had some electronic device in his hand. Danny stifled a laugh when he looked at how much he looked and seemed like Tucker.

The one sight that stuck out was the girl. She had black hair pulled back into a pony tail. Her hair had darkish streaks of purple in it. She had on a black skirt and a black shirt that slightly revealed her stomach. Her boots weren't combat boots, but close to it. She looked almost exactly like Sam.

Danny turned invisible and walked to the trio just enough to hear every single word they said.

"What did you wish for?" the girl asked the black-headed boy.

"I wished I could fly," he responded after a moment. The African American boy began to laugh.

"That's a stupid wish! It couldn't ever come true!" The boy's eyes grew as at the comment and he looked away only to have his hand grabbed by the girl. Danny saw them look at each other, blush, and let go and turn away. _So much like Sam and I used to do._ Danny thought to himself smiling.

"Lovebirds!" Danny's excellent hearing picked up from the African American boy. That gave the boy a death stare from the girl. Suddenly the mother came over to the trio. "Your friends will have to go back home in a few minutes, so go ahead and tell them bye," she said before returning to the house.

The birthday boy sighed, and Danny recalled doing the same thing at his party when he was five years old. He had wished to fly, Tuck had made fun of him, Sam had grabbed his hand before they blushed, and then his mom said they had to go soon. Danny's smile deepened at the thoughts. What happened next surprised Danny even more though.

The African American stood up to tell the other two bye. "Bye Benjamin. Bye Alexandra," he said before turning his back to walk off, most likely home even though he was only about five.

A look of madness crossed between the two faces before they stood up and jumped on top of the African American.

"Do not call me Alexandra!" The girl yelled while at the same time, the boy yelled, "I hate the name Benjamin!"

The boy and girl looked at each other once again and blushed. Danny began to think once again how the kids were so much like him, Tuck, and Sam were. They even did much of the same things.

Danny chose that time to appear in front of them randomly from his invisibility. "Hey kids," he spoke to get their attention. They looked up in alarm before they saw who it was. Though he just looked like some random kid, the little boy recognized him.

"Danny Phantom!" The boy exclaimed softly. "That's just some random kid from down the street Ben." The African American said quickly. Danny hid a small smile.

The little boy looked back at Danny, who for the record, wasn't even in his HAZMAT suit, but his everyday jeans, raven-black hair, and red and white shirt. He had no clue how the kid recognized him, so he tried to play it low.

"Why would you say I'm Phantom?" Danny asked the little boy, whose name was obviously Ben. Ben smiled back at Danny. "You look just like him. You are half ghost," Ben said matter-a-factly. Danny laughed.

Danny looked at the little girl. "I heard him call you Alexandra and you yell that you didn't like being called that. You go by Alex don't you?" The girl shook her head yes.

"Figures. My best friend's name is Samantha, but she hates the name. She's also a Goth," Danny said before turning to the African American. "And what is your name?" he asked.

"Tyler, but they call me Ty," he said. Danny smiled. "Well I'm Danny," He said causing the three kids' eyes to light up.

"You really are him?" Alex asked excitedly. Danny nodded before holding his hands up, checking to see no one was around, and giving him the signature cry. He then glanced at Ben to see his eyes dim as he turned back into human.

"What's wrong Ben?" Danny asked.

"I wish I could fly, like you can." he answered. Danny then said, "You know, I always wanted to be an astronaut you know, but my dream never came true either. You will find something else you want to do someday, but until then, what would you say to me flying you around town once?" The kids jumped onto Danny's back as he flew them around and then each one home safely.

After he did that, he phased through his window turning into Fenton as he landed on the bed. He smiled and he was happy and warm inside despite the chilly whether outside putting others in a bad mood. He knew he had made a mark on three kids so much like himself and his friends, and that neither he nor the kids would ever forget that moment.

After much debating with himself, Danny decided not to tell anyone, not even his best friends, what had happened that day. Danny fell asleep in just minutes as the sun began to set. That was, until his ghost sense woke him up only minutes later. Despite the sense, Danny kept the smile on his face as he saw all three of the kids already in bed except Ben who was waving happily at him and yelled "Thank you Danny!" as he flew by. Danny said you're welcome before flying off into the sunset after the unidentified ghost.

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**I always found it surprising what can make a difference in someone's life. It's not always something big, but whatever it is, it stays with that person forever.**


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